Bricriu's Last Chance
by FinniganToldMeTo
Summary: Bricriu is back, but this time, he wants to make amends. And Jack has allowed it. Now, can Fi figure out why? And who's the crazy hotel proprietor with two identities? Will Fi and Jack's bond as brother and sister survive? Will Jack survive?
1. Fi's Home

-1**Disclaimer: I don't own Jack, Fi, Clu, Bricriu, or… any of the So Weird cast. I just thought this little thing up a while ago and felt I'd delve into it… Hopefully it runs somewhat along the same lines as my other stories. You know… Good?**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter One**

Jack Phillips never did believe in "the weird" as much as his sister did. Everything had to have a logical explanation. That was how he viewed the world. So, when weird things did happen around him, he never stressed over it as much as his sister did, because he'd simply find a logical reason for it. Maybe that was why he was such a calm person. Maybe that was why his sister had all those nightmares, and lines on her face that shouldn't belong to a teenager. She was always so stressed about everything.

It was another stop on Molly Phillips' tour, just like any other, so Jack never expected such weird things to happen this time. He should have known better, of course. They were in Washington, on the way to pick up Fiona, Jack's little sister. Though he was always the first to admit that she was absolutely crazy, he was also as excited as the rest of the group. He missed his sister as much as, if not more than, Clu did, and that was understandable. It had been almost a year since they'd seen each other, and Jack was beginning to miss having a female ghost-hunter around.

Annie had left two weeks before. She had packed and gone out to Pakistan with her parents. Before she'd left, however, she'd handed a silver ring to Jack. She'd told him it was Fi's and she wanted to properly return it. Jack had sworn that the ring would make it back to Fi, eventually. He'd then hugged Annie and watched her get into the van to go to the airport. Clu and Carey had taken Annie to the airport and had returned late that night, Clu asleep in the passenger seat. The next morning, the crew piled into the bus and began their trip through Seattle.

Jack had debated pulling out his angel necklace and putting the ring in the angel's place, so he wouldn't lose it. He quickly rethought that, not wanting to bring up memories of Gabe, his angel, who had spread her wings and left him for some football stud. The wounds were still too fresh.

Instead, Jack had found that the ring fit semi-neatly on his left forefinger. That was where it would stay until it met up once more with its owner.

Jack was examining his sister's ring when the bus pulled up in from of his aunt's house. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop for a long visit, but the formalities (hugs, kisses, "I missed you!") were all shared over coffee in the kitchen. Then, Fi loaded up and took her proper place on the bus.

That night, as they were leaving Seattle for a show on the outskirts of Washington, Jack wandered into Fi's room to find her sitting on her bed, a book in hand. Her laptop remained uncharacteristically closed and off, on her desk.

"So," Jack began, "we never got a chance to catch up on old times. How's life been treating my little sister?"

Fi closed the book and set it on her pillow. "Pretty well, actually. I've been getting better at that whole math thing. I also made a few friends in Seattle. Joined the drama club."

"I always knew you'd find a tribe someday."

"Haha, Jack." Fi brushed her brother's taunt off as if out of habit.

Jack smiled and sat on Fi's chair, clicking her laptop open and on. It was a habit of his, seeing how long it would take before Fi told him to get off her computer.

"I missed you, baby sis." Jack turned to direct a wan smile at Fi. "Though, Annie did manage to keep things entertaining."

"So I heard," Fi chuckled. She straightened up on the bed and brought her legs under her. "Clu and Carey recounted nearly everything."

Jack nodded and logged onto the Internet to check his email. "I'll bet they did. It kept everything interesting, I suppose." Junk, newsletter, junk, junk, old OSSN newsletter, Gabe, junk, junk. He deleted the emails, not even bothering to look at Gabe's letter. I was a forward anyway.

"I hear you dismantled an antique phone?" Fi was leaning forward in her seat, watching her brother closely.

Jack faltered a moment, remembering the unplugged, ringing nightmare. He regained his composure quickly and smiled across at Fi. "It was giving me lip," was his short reply. He then turned back to the computer and typed a quick search: The Tell-Tale Heart.

"Did you ever read any Edgar Allan Poe stories, Fiona?"

Fi nodded. "One of my favorite authors."

"Outside of Agent Mulder?"

Fi laughed and stood to join Jack at the computer.

"Tell-Tale Heart," Jack mused. "It's the story of a man who goes mad with guilt, swearing up and down that the heart of the man he killed lies buried in the floorboard, beating… A great story. A thriller in less that twenty pages. That's why I broke the phone."

"Golf-ball guilt?" Fi smiled at her brother's shocked face. "Mom told me it was from Mr. Applebomb's estate sale."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "Pretty simple explanation, I think."

"It might have actually happened…"

"Or… it might have been my imagination. Please, Fi. Don't overcomplicate this one."

Fi nodded, putting her hands up in surrender. "Okay, I won't."

Jack smiled and closed the laptop. He slowly reached over and touched the ring on his forefinger. "Though, I have to admit. It was weird…"

Fi sat back down on her bed and picked up her book again. Jack took a quick glance at the cover. Mysteries of Scotland.

"Still hung up on Spunkies, eh?" Jack put on his best Scottish accent.

Fi turned sharply and stare at Jack.

"Hey, don't freak. It's me, your brother, remember?" Jack pulled the ring off his finger. "Here. I just remembered that Annie wanted me to hold this for you."

Fi took the ring and examined it closely. "It still has the engraving on it."

"What? You think I'd mess with your ring like that?" He put a hand to his heart. "I'm hurt."

Fi slipped the ring on and looked back up at Jack suddenly. "Bric-"

"Ah, please not yet!" Jack slapped a hand over Fi's mouth. "Now, shh, wee Duckie. Just listen a bit, eh? I needed to bring you back into this stuff, because it happens that someone needs a wee duck like yourself to help them out."

"What do you want?" Fi suppressed the urge to make him leave as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Well, what I want has little to do wi-"

"Jack! Fiona! It's lights out. We'll be in town by morning, so get to sleep." Molly hollered across the bus.

Irene Bell, Clu and Carey's mother, spoke up then, a little quieter than Molly. "Clu. Carey. Take the hint, boys." The two loudly groaned and went to find sleeping quarters.

"Well, wee duck," Jack whispered, "we'll be continuing our talk tomorrow, then."

"Can't we just go to the Nexus, like before? Stop time and all that?"

"It's too dangerous, Fi." Jack's voice returned to normal. "Don't worry. You two can talk again tomorrow." Jack stood and hugged Fi tightly. "Missed you, sis." He then turned and went to the front of the bus to talk with their mom.

**End of Chapter One…**


	2. A New Story

-1**Chapter Two**

Morning came quickly for Fi and she got dressed and out into the front of the bus as fast as possible. She came out of her room to find Molly, Irene, and Jack sitting around munching on bagels.

"Hey, kiddo," Molly greeted Fi. "Why don't you grab a bagel and join us? Jack was just telling us about his research project Ned assigned. It seems to be something you'd be interested in."

Fi sat and looked at Jack, absently picking up a bagel.

"Anyway," Jack started, searching for words, "there's a huge history surrounding the theatre in the next town, the theatre Mom's performing in. The old hotel proprietor took over the theatre back in 1973 after his so-called father, the original owner, passed away. I think it was about… March of '72, when the owner and thirty theatre-goers from around town were trapped in a building collapse, in the back of that theatre. All of them died. It took six months to clear out the mess, identify the bodies, and hold the proper funerals. It took a year after that to rebuild the theatre and make it available to the public once more. The weird part of the story though, is that they never found the body of the owner.

"Since then, the theatre has been said to be haunted by the angry spirit of the dead owner." Jack finished, leaning back in his seat. He then put that Scottish accent into his voice and spoke a bit more. "You know, one never knows when the cry of Nessie is real, as they say down at the Loch."

Molly chuckled lightly. "Okay, you've done the research part. Now what, Sherlock?"

Jack cleared his throat and returned to his own voice. "I intend to prove that all this ghost talk is purely conjecture. These people are being fooled by faulty wiring and creaking floorboards. Nothing more."

"How are you going to prove that without the body of the owner?" Fi asked suddenly.

Jack affected the Scottish accent once more. "Ah, wee duck. Have we lost faith in the magic of photography and hard evidence?" He held up his camera and winked.

The bus slowed to a stop and Ned came back to join the group. "We're here, folks." He glanced at Fi, then to Jack. "I have an idea, Fiona. You and Jack should examine this together. Write a collaborative essay and I'll grade it for both of you."

Fi laughed. "I thought my school year was over… Well, it seems fun. Sure!"

"Yes, we're in business!" Jack exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air in an imitation of Clu on a victory parade.

"You can start now," Ned continued. "Better to meet the proprietor and get your stories straight."

Jack nodded, standing and looking to Fi. Fi leapt to her feet and ran to her room to grab a bag full of her essential ghost finding gear. She came back and stood next to Jack.

"Just in case," she muttered at the amused look on his face.

"You're loving this, Fiona. Admit it." Jack's grin was ear to ear. He obviously was loving it as well.

"This is the first time you've ever wanted to go on a trip through the world of weird with me."

"Don't get used to it, munchkin."

Jack darted out of the bus, Fi following closely behind after grabbing a twenty dollar bill from their mother for lunch and nodding at her, "Hotel by three!"

Fi waited until they were far enough away from the bus that she wouldn't be heard and grabbed Jack's sleeve. "Alright, Bricriu. What's going on?"

Jack paused and looked at Fi. "Now, Little Duck, we had yet to finish our little conversation. As for that one that needs your help… it's your brother."

Fi stared at Bricriu a moment, then shook her head. "What do you mean? What's gonna happen to Jack? And, why could Jack control his body back there? Or was that all you?"

"It was all me, Little Duck. I've been practicing, actually. Your brother has, after all given me a good two weeks to look over his memories. And your brother is in a terrible lot of trouble. That building is home to a malevolent spirit. One who has been known to possess and kill, not unlike Spunkies ironically. You, with that ring, are protected. He won't hurt you. Your brother, on the other hand, has very little protecting him. He is open to all kinds of viciousness." Straightening, Bricriu looked up at the building they'd stopped in front of. It was the hotel, where they'd be able to find the proprietor and get information on the theatre.

"Well, naturally," Bricriu continued, "I tried to warn your brother. I tried to convince him that this was unworthy of his scrutiny. But he refused to believe me, and he even managed to push me out of his own mind. He's a strong one, this boy. Still, he finally gave up when I saved his life down at the river about a week ago. He let me take over his mind long enough to absorb all his memories and mannerisms. For a week, I watched him be himself, then he let me take over. Said I'd have to leave the minute we left Washington, and I'm fine with that, Lass. Just fine with it."

"Wait," Fi fumbled over her words a moment. "You'll willingly give his body back? You're trying to help? I don't understand…"

"I think there's nothing to understand, Little Duck. Jack is a special medium, the only one of his kind on the planet. I have been sent by those spirits that wish no harm on you or your family to protect Jack. He's the only person on this earth that we can use for our own gain."

"So, you help Jack so that you can use him?"

"In a way." Bricriu reached a hand behind his back and scratched at an itch. "Wow, that really does work. Anyway, Jack is the only person in the world that can be possessed without losing himself. We can occupy his body and mind, but he can still control himself. It doesn't usually work that way, Little Duck. It usually only works that we can take over and the person we possess goes into… well, into cold storage. So, you see, Jack's ability to control himself makes it easier for us to get around. We contact him. He contacts the ones we love. And through Jack, we finish that oh so terrible 'unfinished business' you humans talk about. Well, they finish their business… I have no unfinished business, for I never lived as a human, but that's beside the point."

"So you're helping to protect Jack because he has the ability to help all the spirits that just want to go to peace?" Fi motioned as if counting in the air, then stopped and looked at Bricriu.

"Quite right, Little Duck. Now, shall we. I'm sure we'll be needing the proprietor's help to get into the theatre when we need to." Bricriu stepped into the hotel, holding the door open for Fi.

Fi stood still a moment, staring at her brother, then stepped into the hotel next to him and followed him to the counter. She watched in awe as Bricriu imitated her brother perfectly, not missing a beat, even remembering to scratch at his right ear as he spoke, a nervous habit Jack never quite defeated.

"Hi, my name is Jack Phillips, here with the Molly Phillips band. She's my mom actually, and this is my little sister, Fiona. Are you the proprietor of the hotel and owner of the theatre?"

The man behind the desk smiled at Jack, a kindly image that Fi hadn't seen on the faces of too many elderly. It was always nice to see an elderly man or woman who hadn't been so tormented by kids their age, that they smiled and never judged. "Why, yes. I am, Jack. My name is Jonathon Curier, the owner and proprietor of both establishments. What can I do for you? It seems your party's already been checked in."

"Yeah, that's actually not what I was curious about." Bricriu let Jack's hand fall from his ear and he started to get down to business. "Our bus driver, Ned Bell, is sort of also my teacher. He told me I have a project due soon on the history of this place. I did a little research on your theatre, and I thought I might be able to get a couple pictures of the place, maybe catch some of this 'haunting' on film? It's not something I completely believe in, but the history behind it, and forgive me for bringing it up, just interests me. Do you think my sister and I might be able to snoop around a little bit today, and maybe some tomorrow? We wanted to get a look at the place while it's empty, and I hear it's closed during the day."

Jonathon chuckled and shook his head. "You're not the first ones. Sure, I can let you take a little adventure through the theatre, but I have to warn you. There are terrible things that go on within those walls when the doors are locked. I wouldn't want the two of you to get hurt, so you be careful, Jack. And take care of your sister." He turned away for a moment, fumbling with a small red pouch. He turned back around and smiled once more. He dropped a key into Jack's hand. "You know where it is, right?" Bricriu nodded slowly. "Good. Now, I can come by a little later and give you a full history of the place, brick by brick, but that will have to be around one. Is that okay?"

Bricriu nodded again. "Sure will be. Thanks a lot. This is actually my final grade of the term before summer, so I wanna go out with a bang, you know. And even if I don't prove anything exists in there, I'll still have a great history report with everything I've found and the stuff you could tell me. Thanks again."

Bricriu turned and began to head out the door. He turned and gave a lopsided smile and a wave before stepping outside. Fi smiled at Jonathon and followed her "brother" outside.

Bricriu was standing with his back against the outer wall of the hotel. His arms were folded across his chest and he watched Fi closely as she approached.

"I don't like the feel of this, Fi," Bricriu managed in Jack's voice. "It may not go about the way I think it will, but I'm still worried that we might lose Jack in there."

Fi shrugged and leaned against the wall, standing next to Bricriu. "Jack will be fine." She looked up at the sky, then across the deserted street at the theatre. "Do we know where it is?" She laughed. "Nope, missed it when I looked out the window."

"Some people miss simple things like that." Bricriu straightened and walked across the street, looking back once to make sure Fi was there. "Clu missed something simple that could have tipped him off that I wasn't exactly me at the time. It was a small slip-up. Had to do with what I called him. I used his full name, by accident."

"Whoa, what happened?" Fi sped up to walk side by side with Bricriu.

"He didn't do anything. Just kept on with… whatever it was he was blathering about." Bricriu shook his head. "The sad part is, he's not really as dimwitted as you all think. Clu is a very intelligent young man. He just prefers to make people think he's slow. He doesn't want any attention drawn to his intelligence, because he feels then he'd just be a fact machine for everyone around him. He'd cease being Clu, and begin being… The Clu-tron 2000. Or something like that."

"How do you know that?"

"I was looking over a few of Jack's old memories last night. There's one where… well, hold on." Bricriu reached out and unlocked the door to the theatre. They stepped inside and he shut and locked the door behind them. Once they were alone in the main room of the theatre, Bricriu snapped his fingers and a giant screen appeared in front of the two.

"I thought you said it was too dangerous to go to the Nexus." Fi looked around suddenly, but found no green mist, no rocks, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, it is. That's why we're not in the Nexus." Bricriu grabbed Fi's arm and pulled her into one of the chairs by a table in the back of the room. "As long as no one else can see, I can change the matter around me. It's just easier to do in the Nexus, because everyone else is frozen in time. They'd never see your shenanigans. Take my meaning?"

Fi nodded slowly.

"Good, now watch."

The screen flickered and an image of Clu appeared. He was sitting next to Jack, talking.

"_I don't suppose anyone would understand it, Jack. I just don't want to talk about it."_

_Jack shifted in his seat. "Clu, I'm your best friend. Even if I don't understand, I won't persecute you."_

_Clu sighed heavily. "I'm not dumb. I'm not slow. I'm not stupid, ignorant, challenged, or chemically imbalanced in the brain. In fact, according to my grades, I'm very smart. Too smart… Listen, Jack. Ever since I was little, I had this knack for remembering just about anything. Facts, images, numbers, license plate codes. They all just… stick, ya know? And Mom and Dad thought I was absolutely amazing all my life. Bragged about how they had this perfect child. I stopped parading it pretty quick. The attention was too thick. I just wanted to be a kid, not a fact machine."_

"_Wow, Clu."_

"_Yeah, I know. So, I guess I sorta act dumb, so that I won't look too smart. It works. I'd rather be slow and funny, than facts and numbers. I'd like to stay Clu for a while, not turn into some… Clu-culon or something."_

"_Okay, Clu. Fine. I promise, I'd never do that to you anyway. You're my best friend and that means that I give you your space when you need it and I listen when you need someone to listen to you. End of story."_

"_And we play video-games together, Jack. Don't forget that."_

"_Right. And we play video-games together." Jack stood and put an arm around Clu as he rose to join him. Clu leaned down a little to keep level and dropped an arm around Jack._

"_Say, Clu?"_

"_Yeah, Jack?"_

"_You'll still… uh… help me out with my chemistry homework, right?"_

_Clu wrapped his arm around Jack's neck and grabbed him in a choke-hold. The two boys wrestled each other to the ground, laughing._

And the screen turned off, as though the camera had run out of film on the reel. Bricriu smiled across at Fi.

"See, your brother Jack has quite the taste in friends."

Fi smiled. "I'd probably never have figured that about Clu. It's kind of neat getting to learn something like that. Though, kind of sad that he'd never tell me."

"Ah, Little Duck." Bricriu stood and began to walk out of the main room, shaking his head and laughing.

"Hey!" Fi jumped up and followed him.

**End of Chapter Two. God I love Bricriu.**


	3. Lunchtime

-1**Chapter Three**

The two made their way slowly through every room in the theatre. Nothing jumped out at them. No lights flickered. Not even one floorboard creaked. Fi was beginning to get tired when Bricriu spoke up for the first time in two hours.

"It looks like we'll be seeing nothing in here today, Little Duck." As he finished his sentence, the room temperature dropped several degrees.

Fi looked up suddenly, no longer interested in her own feet. "That is usually a sign of something spirit-like."

"I know." Bricriu looked around slowly, pulling the camera from around his neck. "I should see what pictures I get, eh? That way, if there is something, at least Jack will remember it."

"You mean, he can't see what's going on right now?"

"Oh, he can. But sometimes separating from a spunkie can be damaging to the memory of the time in which the spunkie occupied the person. So, I'll be taking pictures for him. And when this is over, I'll remain in his head long enough for him to write the report, so as to not interrupt his grades."

"Well, that's nice of you," an elderly voice whispered from behind the two. They both jumped and turned to find the proprietor standing behind them.

"Mr. Curier, sir!" Bricriu yelped. "I didn't hear you coming in here."

"Well, it seems I'll be needing to straighten up around here for your mother's concert tonight. So, Jack, if you and your sister could leave now. I'm sure you'll have time to explore after the concert, tonight…"

Bricriu nodded and backed out of the theatre, grabbing Fi's hand and pulling her along.

"Well, that was short-lived," Fi whimpered. "And what about him teaching us about the place?"

"Fiona?" Bricriu was using Jack's voice once again, though Fi hadn't even noticed when he'd slipped into his odd Scottish drawl. "We should get to the hotel… now."

"What? Why?" Fi looked at her watch. "It's not even one yet. He got in there early. What's going on?"

"Fiona… He knows I'm a spunkie." Bricriu checked the street before crossing, then grabbed Fi's arm once again, pulling her into the hotel. "He heard me speaking. He was there nearly the whole time. It's not smart for a spunkie to give away his location. Especially not to the kin of that dead theatre man."

Fi gasped as Bricriu stopped in the lobby. She stared at him, wide-eyed for a moment. Molly and Irene came up right then, and startled her out of her study.

"You two finished for the day?" Molly asked "Jack."

"Yeah, Mom," Bricriu replied. "Mr. Curier, the owner, wanted to do some cleaning up before tonight, so we kind of got kicked out."

"Curier?" Irene questioned, looking over at Molly. "He gave you guys a different name than the one he introduced himself with to us. He called himself Joseph Stocksturn. Curier was the name of the owner that died."

Bricriu turned and looked at Fi for a moment, then back at Irene and Molly. "Maybe I need a nap. Which rooms are we in?"

Molly produced two card keys and handed one to each of them. "Girls 14B. Boys 14C. That's 14th floor, B and C."

Bricriu nodded and took Jack's key before heading toward the hotel elevator and disappearing behind the doors. Fi looked up at her mom.

"Any chance you two are going out for food?"

Molly laughed. "Well, we were going to have lunch and then check out some of the shops near here. Do you want to join us, sweetheart?"

"I'm famished. Yes!" Fi smiled and grabbed her mom's arm. The three left the hotel with barely a glance back.

**End of Chapter Three**

**Needed something slightly… normal.**


	4. A Memory Best Forgotten

-1**Chapter Four**

Jack, once again in control of his own form, sat quietly on a chair in the hotel room. It had only been ten minutes since Clu, Carey, and Ned had left, offering to bring Jack along for lunch and some exploring of the town. Jack had declined, claiming he needed some sleep. Oddly enough, he was tired, but his mind kept racing.

"Alright, so explain to me this, Bricriu," Jack spoke to the empty room, almost expecting a ball of light to come bouncing in and start talking to him. Of course, that couldn't happen. Bricriu still remained deep in his mind, not ready to leave until he'd done his civic duty and rescued the medium from death, not that Jack knew of his eminent death. In fact, Bricriu had convinced Jack to let him in by telling him how he could help protect _Fiona_, not himself.

Jack stood and walked to the closet, staring at his reflection in the mirrored door. "Well? Bricriu… The guy that died is named Curier? The guy we met was giving us a wrong name?"

His reflection smiled at him. To be exact, he smiled at his reflection, a small smirk that Bricriu had decided to throw on the boy's face suddenly. Then, Jack began to respond to himself, watching his reflection closely. Bricriu had taken over again.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We've been duped by a spirit. Do you still have that key?"

Jack shook his head and walked away from the mirror. "Head-rush. Yes, I still have the key." He plunged his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out the key. "You put it there, you forgetful sprite."

"Don't ever call me that, boy! I'm no sprite. I'm a Spunkie! There's a difference."

Jack snorted. "I'd bet it's a _wee_ one." He sat down again. "Alright, I really am tired, so I'm gonna try to sleep a little."

"In a chair, Duck?"

"Why do you call us all… never mind. Yes, in a chair. Now shush." Jack settled his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. It only took about three minutes for him to pass out, leaving Bricriu alone to go through his mind and talk to himself.

Bricriu studied Jack's memories thoroughly. Sure, he'd been through all of them once before, but he never believed in studying too much. Slowly, he sifted through conversations with Fi, Annie, Jack's mother Molly, Irene, Clu, Ned, and even a few short conversations with Gabe, Jack's ex-girlfriend.

In all honesty, the Spunkie still wondered what went wrong in Jack and Gabe's relationship. The two had seemed so perfect for each other, but something, somewhere along the line, had gone terribly wrong. Bricriu called up the last conversation the two had had, watching closely, trying to determine why this happened, and why it caused Jack so much grief.

_Jack darted out of the bus and ran to Gabe, smiling as she rushed to his side and hugged him briefly. Jack pulled out of the hug and cast a wary eye on Gabe._

"_Something up?" Jack questioned, staring more over Gabe's shoulder than at her. Behind her, not too far from the front stoop of her house, stood a guy about Jack's age, though more built. He wore a letterman's jacket and stood leaning against a tree, watching the two._

"_Jack," Gabe looked down at her feet. "There's a few things you need to know."_

"_What? Is everything okay?" Jack's danger meter was going wild. He mentally calmed himself and looked back at the other boy, before finally resting his eyes on Gabe._

"_I'm fine, Jack. But, I don't think that… this…" She stopped and looked away again, this time looking to the other boy. He stepped forward and stood next to Gabe._

"_There's been a few changes around here, Phillips," came the other's gruff voice. Definitely a football player. Only a football player for a high school team could be so cocky and straightforward._

"_Changes, eh?" Jack looked up at the football player. "And, your name? I mean, you already know mine." Jack knew, now, just what was going on. The way Gabe kept glancing to the football player for support. The way the other boy's arm hung loosely by his side, ready to up and sweep Gabe away from him. Jack stood his ground, ready to hear it out until the end._

"_Name's Jason Cox," the other said, confidence dripping from each word. "Star quarterback at-"_

"_Yeah, I assumed that much." Jack looked back at Gabe and sighed. "So… lemme guess. You want to say goodbye. You want to tell me that you can't stand having a long-distance relationship. That you've found someone who will always be there for you, in Jason… Am I right?"_

_Gabe turned away, her eyes cast downward. This was not going as she had planned, and Jack could tell._

"_Listen, Gabe." Jack took in a deep breathe and let it out slowly, deciding to keep playing this out. "I… I don't know why you want to do this right now, but I do know this… I will do anything to make you happy. Anything at all. Even if that means giving you up for him. After all, he is someone who can be there for you. He's always here and so close. So, I guess… No, I don't understand, but I'm gonna let it go. Because it's obviously what you want. Believe me, I've lived with enough women in my life to know how to read their actions and emotions. So, goodbye."_

_Jack turned to leave and stopped, removing his necklace and turning back to Gabe. "You were always my angel…" He handed her the necklace, but she stepped back._

"_Keep it. I gave it as a gift and I'm not taking it back. The emotion was there then… Remember it." She then turned and walked back up to her house, hand in hand with Jason Cox._

_Jack remained on the sidewalk, just outside the bus for several minutes. He watched the house until the two had gone inside and closed the door. Then, he simply stared down at the necklace in his hands. Finally, he turned and made his way back into the bus. Carey, Annie, Molly, Irene and Ned all looked up at him as he stepped slowly over the threshold._

"_So, what'd she want, man?" Carey asked, genuine curiosity in his voice._

"_She… wanted to…" Jack shook his head and sat down on the couch and stared blankly at the opposite wall. "Can we go?"_

_Ned stood up, startled, and walked back to his seat at the wheel. "Sure thing, kiddo. We got places to be by tomorrow morning, so we're off."_

"_Thanks," Jack muttered. Slowly, he let himself slide down in his seat until his head hit the top of the couch and he raised his fist in the air, clutching the necklace. After a second of silence, he threw the necklace to the ground and let himself fall sideways onto the couch, his face buried in his arms._

"Don't do that!" Jack let out a yelp of surprise as he woke up with a start. He'd just had the worst dream. He had remembered, minute by minute and word for word, what had happened the day Gabe dumped him. "It's bad enough I have to harbor you. Don't make this worse for me. I can't stand that memory, and you should know that!" He buried his face in his hands and sighed. After a moment of silence from the inner occupant, he let his hands fall and settled back in his chair, falling asleep once more.

**End Chapter Four…**

**Had to throw in the Gabe thing… It was a time filler… I guess… Some action next chapter, I promise.**


	5. Photography and its Uses

-1**Chapter Five**

Fiona Phillips was the first one back into the hotel, Molly, Irene, and the boys following close behind. Something wasn't sitting right with her. The instant she'd seen that Jack was not with Clu and his family, she felt that something, anything, could have happened. Bounding up the elevator, she hit the button and held the door for everyone, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Come on, Mom!" Fi muttered as the group waited for Molly, who'd been stopped by the clerk to talk a moment. Fi watched in awe as the man spoke, noticing that she was in fact speaking to Mr. Curier, the man that had claimed to own the hotel when she and Bricriu had spoken with him.

Molly finally made her way to the elevator, Mr. Curier right behind her. "Mr. Stocksturn says that there's been report of what sounds like screaming from the boys' room. We have to see if Jack's okay."

Fi's heart sank. Screams? Jack was alone in there. What could have happened to him? And would they be too late?

The group reached the door to the boys' room barely two minutes later. Mr. Stocks turn (Curier) pulled out a key and pushed the door open while everyone rushed in around him. Molly ran a search of the room, and turned back to Ned and Irene.

"Jack's not in here," Molly stated, looking around once more for good measure. Clu ran around Molly and ducked down, looking under the beds.

"Nope, not in here," Clu agreed. Carey turned and stared at his little brother.

"You've got to be kidding me… Did you just look under the beds… What'd you expect, monsters?"

Clu growled angrily and shoved at his brother. "No! Sometimes, Jack has a habit of falling off the bed and ending up under it… It's just a weird thing he does in his sleep. I noticed it about two years ago. It's rare, but you never know."

Fi shook her head and turned to Irene and Molly. "We've got to find him. Where could he have gone?"

Carey shrugged and left the room, dragging Clu along behind. "Clu and I'll go check out the theatre, see if he wandered over there again. We'll see if everything's getting set up for tonight like it should be too."

Molly nodded absently. "Yeah, do that. Fiona, Ned, Irene and I are going to look around town. You stay here in case he comes back, okay?"

"Mom," Fi began to protest, then sat on one of the beds. "Oh, fine… Make me stay behind and worry alone."

"Fi, please, not right now…" Molly turned and left the room with Ned and Irene, leaving Fi alone with the hotel proprietor.

"Your brother usually run off like this, Fiona?" Mr. Stocksturn/Curier asked innocently.

"No," Fi replied, going to the window and looking out. "Usually he knows to never wander off alone. He knows how worked up Mom gets about it, no matter how old we are, we always are supposed to travel in groups, or at least pairs. It's because we're always traveling. It's better to be with a part of your group. It's easier to notice that two kids are missing than just one in the rush of leaving for the next town."

The proprietor nodded knowingly. "My father was always that way with me when I was a boy. And mind you, I was a boy a great many years ago, so there's always been dangers like this."

Fi nodded. "I never assumed America was ever safe… What with all the wars."

"Yes, those wars sure put a black mark on this country's record."

"Every country needs a war or two to gain their place and status. At least, that's what Jack always said. And he's usually right about that kind of stuff. He explained it to me once. He said that if America hadn't fought back and been through the wars it had, we would still be under British rule, and we wouldn't be as independent. You have to stand up for your rights in order to gain them in the first place. Otherwise, other people will simply take them away."

"Your brother sounds very knowledgeable and practical."

"He's got a good head on his shoulders, as my mom says, Mr…"

"Stocksturn, Fiona. Remember?" Stocksturn smiled across the room as Fi turned and looked at him for the first time since everyone had left.

"I don't mean to sound rude," Fi said, "but don't you have to run the hotel?"

"I'm not the only person working in this hotel. I can afford to let another employee pick up the pace here and there."

Fi nodded and looked back out the window. Silence passed between the two for the longest time before Fi finally turned back to ask another question. When she did turn, Mr. Stocksturn was gone. Fi sighed and sat down on the unmade bed, looking around the room for any sign of struggle or Jack's exit.

The sign came in the form of Jack's camera, on the ground not far from the table, lying on its side. Fi didn't know much about her brother's new love of photography, but she knew that in any instance, Jack would not, could not, let his camera sit on the ground in that state. She stepped over and picked up the camera, looking at it for a moment.

It wasn't Jack's favorite camera, just one of the three he owned. He had a professional camera that he carried around for capturing anything that inspired him, a disposable camera that he'd never taken a single picture with, and the digital Fi was holding. It was for simple shots, and for group photos that he wanted to make sure turned out okay before developing them. Fi turned the camera on, to make sure it still worked. Jack would have a fit if it were broken. Luckily, the camera whirred immediately into action, proving that Jack had just recently put in new batteries (AN: Digital cameras never seem to work so well as that moment right after they've gained new batteries, eh?). She scanned through a couple of the last images and found that Jack had taken a few quick pics of the room.

One of the last two shots was of Jack himself, from slightly below, as though Jack had set the camera down on the table and taken the shot while he sat in the chair not too far away. The part of the image that startled Fiona was the figure in the open doorway. Fi knew Jack would never leave the hotel room door wide open when no one else was around. It was unsafe and it was un-Jack. She zoomed in on the image, slowly pushing the buttons to make the image larger and less fuzzy, and came face to face with an image of the hotel proprietor, Mr. Stocksturn.

**End of Chapter Five.**

**Yes… It's starting to come together… Not really… but it should only be about three more chapters long. I'm trying to keep it as episode length as possible, and in words, that's difficult. R&R, and don't be afraid to tell me what I can do to fix it… I welcome Flames.**


	6. Don't Go Into The Light?

**Chapter Six**

Opening his eyes slowly, unsure as to whether he'd even be able to see, Jack found that he was sitting in the darkest room he'd ever seen. Even his own bedroom back home had some light filtering in when all the lights were off and the curtains drawn at night. This room didn't just appear dark. It felt dark. Jack let out a loud groan and tried to sit up.

After several failed attempts, Jack managed to sit up straight, holding a hand to his forehead in pain. His skin felt slick, as though he'd see blood when he pulled his hand away, if he could see at all. He let his hand fall to the floor below him. Concrete, cold and hard, also slick with his blood. He decided against trying to stand. He might just have a dizzy spell.

"Bricriu," Jack muttered into the dark. "Begone from this mortal form."

A sudden flash of light filled the room and a dancing orb of light appeared in front of Jack.

"Ah, ye've knocked me out of yer head?"

"I needed a light… And you work." Jack turned and looked down at the floor below him, then back up at Bricriu. "Am I bleeding really badly?"

The orb danced a moment, then seemed to move as though the shake of a head. "Not anymore, it would seem. Your cut has healed over, but ye did bleed quite a bit beforehand, Jack."

"Great," Jack muttered, looking around his newly acquired perimeter. "What is this place? Can you find a way out?"

"I'll hover about a bit, wall to wall, see if I can light up a door for you." And Bricriu did just that, hovering about the room, reaching the wall, and following it, searching for a door or a way out. On the sweep of the second wall, he came across a door, sealed shut at the top of a flight of stairs.

"So, I've been locked in a basement of sorts." Jack stood slowly, swaying on his feet, then staggered over to the light. "Who was… No, it was the owner! He was there, in the camera. Do you remember? He must have come into the room with his key and hit me over the head."

"I'd bet that's what it was…" Bricriu didn't sound convinced at all. "Or it might have been the spirit of the old owner, back to exact revenge on the world, and to put you out of the picture, just like I've been sayin' for the past two weeks."

"Bricriu, knock it off. I know that's not what it was. There's no such things as ghosts or detached spirits. It's all in our imaginations."

"Then how do you explain me, Jack Duck?"

Jack stopped suddenly, staring at Bricriu. "I… don't."

A loud sound reverberated around them. It started off as a loud squealing, then quieted down into a beat, guitar strings being plucked, and slowly moved into the sounds of a very familiar song.

"We're in the theatre basement!" Jack hollered at nearly the same time the floating ball of light did. "Well, then we might be able to get out…" Jack dug into his jacket pocket and found the old key the proprietor had handed him earlier that day. "It's like a skeleton key, shaped the same way. I'd bet it works for all the doors in this place."

Jack pushed the key into the keyhole, trying to force the lock. It slid in easily, and Jack laughed.

"Old buildings," he chuckled, "gotta love their workmanship."

Bricriu danced in the air a bit. "Now, unlock that door and let me take over again. I've got to get you out of here, boy!"

Jack nodded and turned the key. He heard the tumblers turn and click, then the light around him vanished. Once more, Bricriu had possessed him and Jack couldn't see anymore. The door inched open and Jack stumbled out into the backstage area of the theatre. He dropped down amongst his mom's jacket and the band's other assorted clothing that they hadn't needed on stage.

"Well, we're out… Now what?"

Fi couldn't stand it. She was sitting at a table next to Clu, looking around the theatre, her mind everywhere else but on this one moment. Clu was tapping his fingers to the beat of Molly's newest song, but he too stared around impatiently.

"Clu, we've gotta go find Jack. Something could be happening. He could be getting hurt right now." Fi spoke over the music, just loud enough for Clu to hear.

"Like what, Fi?" Clu turned and looked at her, his hand still drumming out an impatient rhythm. "I know you're worried. Me too. But where are we gonna look?"

"Clu, I have very good reason to believe that if we find the owner of this place, we'll find out what happened to Jack."

"What? Why do you say that?" Clu stopped drumming his fingers now, completely caught by Fi's words. This would probably end up being something weird once more, as was Fi's habit, and Clu didn't want to miss a single detail.

Fi pulled Jack's digital camera from her jacket and turned it on, scrolling to the picture of Jack in the room. "Look at this picture," she said, pushing the camera under Clu's nose. "Doesn't that figure in the background look an awful lot like the owner?"

Clu nodded solemnly. "Not only that, but he's the only person other than any of us that could have a key to the room. And Jack never leaves-"

"The door open. Exactly." Fi nodded her agreement and smiled. "So we've gotta go find him. Come on, he's bound to be around here somewhere."

Clu watched as Fi stood and started to make her way through the crowd and out of the theatre, then stood and followed her.

**End of Chapter Six**

**Fi and Clu are on the search… in the wrong direction? Wow… This is fun… Let's see what happens next… As always, read and review/critique/flame. I welcome all types of talk… as long as you don't fling poo.**


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